Congress no confidence khattar

MANILA, Philippines—President Rodrigo Duterte has urged Congress, especially the Senate, to fast-track three bills which will further open up the economy to more foreign investors and, according to his economic managers, help the economy recover from pandemic-induced recession. In an April 12 letter to Senate President Vicente Sotto III, the President said he certified the immediate passage of amendments to the Public Service Act, the Foreign Investments Act, as well as the Retail Trade Liberalization Act. Amendments to the antiquated public service and foreign investment laws would allow greater foreign participation in sectors that had been restricted only to Filipino investors. The proposed amendment to the Retail Trade law seeks to bring down the ceiling for capital required of foreign-led retailers for setting up shop in the Philippines. Speaker Lord Allan Jay Velasco was also furnished the letter, a printed copy of which was sent by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez to ... » Learn More about Duterte asks Congress to give priority to new laws removing barriers to foreign investments

After emerging as “The Clash” Season 3 grand champion, Power Diva Jessica Villarubin wins another bout, only this time it’s something more personal — her insecurity. The singer recently released her debut single under GMA Music titled “Ako Naman.” Penned by Asia’s Romantic Balladeer Christian Bautista, the song is reminiscent of her journey from being a simple Cebuana girl with big dreams to now a rising Kapuso performer. It was also her winning piece during the grand finals of “The Clash.” “I’m so grateful talaga na may kanta na ako at composed pa ni sir Christian. I feel happy and blessed po sa lahat ng mga nangyayari sa buhay ko ngayon. Sa kantang ito, mararamdaman ng listeners ‘yung mga pinagdaanan ko at kung paano ako pinalakas nito. Sana marami rin ang ma-inspire ng ‘Ako Naman’.” Besides this new song, Villarubin became the talk of the town when she also revealed her new look and confidently admitted she underwent beauty enhancements to achieve it. “This is what I ... » Learn More about Singer Jessica Villarubin reclaims confidence on and off stage

SINGAPORE - Siblings Nathan and Phoebe Foong have been waking up for school, where they stand to attention for the National Anthem during assembly, before heading to the canteen. The catch? They are actually at home. Their parents, Elvin and Esther Foong, devised "Naph School", an amalgam of the first two letters of the children's names, after the family were asked to self-isolate under a leave of absence (LOA) request. The family's LOA was issued after their trip to visit Mrs Foong's father in Johor during the recent March school holidays. Nathan, nine, and Phoebe, seven, will return to school on April 2 . According to the Education Ministry, less than 10 per cent of students and staff across all schools are on LOA or stay-home notice (SHN), which aim to prevent the spread of Covid-19. They are both 14-day self-isolation measures, typically following overseas travel. Some families with young children are concerned about supporting their offspring's learning away from ... » Learn More about Staying at home during Covid-19 outbreak: How to plan activities with your kids, and take ‘sanity breaks’

ROME (Reuters) - The head of healthcare management in Italy's largest region, Lombardy, said on Wednesday there was a growing reluctance amongst residents to accept AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine because of safety fears. Public confidence in the vaccine has been battered worldwide since reports emerged linking it to very rare but potentially fatal blood clots in the brain. "It is a phenomenon that in recent days is becoming more serious than we might have thought," Giovanni Pavesi told the regional health commission in Lombardy, which is centred on Italy's financial capital Milan. Officials elsewhere across the country reported similar problems, posing a major headache to the government as it struggles to ramp up vaccination efforts. "The rejection of AstraZeneca has been seen in numerous regions," said Antonino Spirlì, acting president of Calabria, the toe of Italy's boot, where the region's main hospital reported up to 70% of people were turning down AstraZeneca. "It ... » Learn More about Italians seen increasingly reluctant to accept AstraZeneca shots

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) -Europe's choppy vaccine rollout hit more trouble on Wednesday after U.S. drugmaker Johnson & Johnson delayed its COVID-19 shot and Denmark said it would drop a similar vaccine from AstraZeneca over the risk of blood clotting. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said it expected to issue a recommendation on Johnson & Johnson's vaccine next week but that it continued to believe the benefits of the shot outweighed the risks of side effects. U.S. federal health agencies recommended pausing use of the vaccine for at least a few days after six women under age 50 developed rare blood clots after receiving the shot. Deliveries had already begun in some European countries but authorities took differing approaches on whether to restrict use of the single-shot vaccine, with Belgium and France saying they would go ahead, while Spain, Italy and Greece put them on hold. The EMA said J&J was in contact with national authorities and recommended storing doses ... » Learn More about Europe’s vaccine rollout hit by doubts over J&J, AstraZeneca shots

Dear PAO, Dear Julius, “A conviction for illegal recruitment whether simple or committed on a large scale would not preclude punishment for estafa under Article 315(2)(a) of the RPC. This is because no double jeopardy could attach from the prosecution and conviction of the accused for both crimes considering that they are penalized under different laws and involved elements distinct from one another. Conviction under Article 315(2)(a) requires the concurrence of the following elements: (1) the accused defrauded another by abuse of confidence or by means of deceit; and (2) the offended party, or a third party, suffered damage or prejudice capable of pecuniary estimation. These are elements completely different from those required for illegal recruitment. “Under Section 6 of RA 8042, illegal recruitment, when undertaken by a non-licensee or non-holder of authority as contemplated under Article 13(f) of the Labor Code, shall mean any act of canvassing, enlisting, contracting, ... » Learn More about Illegal recruitment and estafa

Dear Lloyd, I have this experience of reaching heights and becoming successful in what I do. Recently, it was a totally different story. When success is no longer there — and failure suddenly meets me face to face — what do I do? Mar Mar, A few years ago, I did a motivational talk before two real estate giants in Manila during their sales kickoff rally. Most companies do this every year. Back in the prepandemic days, there were face-to-face meetings. They gathered their sales people and hired a motivational speaker to speak and try to encourage their people to sell more this time as the speaker tried to equip them with knowled ge, wisdom and stories. Hopefully after the one-hour program or so, participants would leave the venue with inspiration and drive to face the new year and yes, painful or not as it was, make the best effort to hit their quota for that period. It’s amazing to see their mix of emotions — from being happy to being excited to being afraid to being ... » Learn More about Success causes us to fail

MUNICH: Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich is convinced the holders can beat Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) in their Champions League quarter-final second leg to reach the last four. “I believe that we will progress, because we’re the better team,” Kimmich told the club’s website. Bayern need to overturn a 3-2 defeat from last week’s first leg in Munich. “We were the better team in the first leg, but unfortunately the result didn’t correspond to the performance,” added Kimmich. “Nevertheless, I’m confident that we can still turn it around in the second leg.” Despite peppering the PSG goal with 31 shots, 12 on target, Bayern lost the first leg at home after Kylian Mbappe scored twice and Marquinhos also hit the net as PSG had just four shots on target. “In the first leg, they threatened three times and scored three times,” said Kimmich. “Apart from that, I don’t remember Paris having that many chances. “Overall, our ... » Learn More about ’We’re better’: Kimmich insists Bayern can beat PSG